


Stay With Me

by litakelly



Series: Captain Canary [4]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Character Study, Childhood Trauma, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, Sort Of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-05-16 10:09:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14809277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/litakelly/pseuds/litakelly
Summary: After a close call on a mission Leonard let’s his guard slip and Sara is reminded of the last time she lost someone.Finished! Just added chapter four as a short follow up/fluffy angsty feels time. Rating goes up for chapter three, the first two are GA so you can stop reading there if you’re not interested in the NSFW stuff.Canon divergent from Destiny, small spoiler for death learned in Legends of Tomorrow.





	1. Chapter 1

It had been a tough mission, they barely made it out unscathed and an unseen sharpshooter had almost taken Sara out. After they debriefed and everyone went their separate ways, Leonard followed Sara down the hall.

He seemed distracted and a little distant after the mission, so when they reached Leonard’s room she decided to give him some space. She gave him a peck on the cheek and whispered goodnight before turning to leave but Leonard caught her hand.

“Sara, wait...” His voice softened then, it was always a bit of a surprise when Leonard let his guard down in private.

Around the team he was snarky and callous, but sometimes when he was alone with Sara, when he was most relaxed, his voice would be softer, his tone almost gentle. Now he seemed more anxious, but still different than with everyone else. It reminded her of the first time she’d really noticed this softer side of him, after Laurel died and he’d simply held her.

He was always a bit more relaxed with her but that time he’d held her close while sobs had wracked her body. He’d whispered gently into her hair and rubbed her back absently, not asking anything of her, just holding her.

“I can’t imagine how hard this is for you,” he’d whispered. “Losing anyone is painful, but a sister, I can’t even...” his breath had caught and he’d held her a little tighter. She couldn’t speak. Laurel had always been the good one, she’d always looked out for her and the idea of never seeing her big sister again made her feel utterly lost.

Eventually he’d moved her to the couch and she’d lain down with her head in his lap and clutched one of his arms in front of her, their fingers laced together tightly. With his free hand he’d stroked her hair soothingly. At some point she’d fallen asleep like that and when she awoken she was sleeping on top of her bed, a spare blanket draped over her and Leonard sleeping in a chair nearby.

Seeing his head propped on one hand at a very uncomfortable-looking angle made her smile fondly at him. He’d wanted to stay with her rather than sleep in his far more comfortable bed. That was the first time she’d realized quite how deep his feelings for her ran. He was different with her, she’d been attracted to him from the start, but it was this loyal and gentle side that was really making her fall for him.

Now he was looking at where their hands were joined, rubbing her thumb with his own absentmindedly. His voice had taken on that gentle quality and when he finally looked at her his eyes had softened as well.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, “I just, I can’t lose you,” he said quietly and looked away again. “When I heard that gunshot I thought... I was just... terrified. You know me,” he hesitated, the truth of those words sinking in, “I’m not afraid often and I don’t handle fear well.” He reached his other hand up and cupped her cheek, “I just... I...” he kissed her then, putting all the feelings he couldn’t voice into it. The kiss was slow and lingering, and even after their lips parted they remained that way for a few moments, foreheads touching, just breathing.

“I know,” she told him, “me too.”

“Will you...” he seemed uncertain, afraid to ask, “would you stay tonight?” He brushed the hair back from the side of her face. She’d never seen him so vulnerable, so full of uncertainty and it made her wonder how much of his self assured bravado was an act.

“I’d love to,” she smiled softly at him and he returned it before taking her hand again and pulling her into his room.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leonard and Sara spend some time just being with each other and remembering who they are, and can be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the lovely comments, they spurred me on to get this chapter finished and to make this into a multi chapter in the first place! Let me know your thoughts in the comments, I’ll try to get the next chapter up soon x

They were neither rushed nor awkward, they both knew they just needed to be near each other. Leonard pulled Sara over to his bed and lay down on his side leaving plenty of room for her to join. Sara mirrored him lying on her side and taking his hand to lace their fingers together. He studied the gesture and his eyes became distant, looking suddenly very far away.

“Hey,” Sara whispered, cupping his cheek with the palm of her free hand, her eyes searching his, “don’t shut me out now... let me in.”

His eyes became more focused then and he began to idly brush her hair back away from her face.

“I’m not used to... caring about other people, aside from my sister, and maybe Mick,” he confided. “I learned early on that you have to look out for number one in this life, because if the world’s not gonna care about you then you shouldn’t have to give a damn about it,” he murmured bitterly.

“Is that why you became a criminal?” She asked cautiously, afraid of spooking him.

“The laws that call me a criminal also allow a man to drink away his wages and take it out on his wife and son,” he said coldly, “so I guess ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ became rather gray areas for me... and the ‘law’ became little more than a joke at best,” he paused, looking more the hardened criminal than she’d ever seen him, “and a _challenge_ at worst.” He waited then for her to recoil, to call him a cold hearted bastard and leave him in an empty bed, but she didn’t move. Her face was impassive and relaxed, slight worry on her brow the only sign she’d heard him at all.

Sara leaned forward and kissed him gently then, a barely there whisper of a kiss that simply reminded him she didn’t care about his past. She’d seen worse, done worse, and saw straight past any damage or burden he might be carrying. It puzzled and amazed him.

Leonard had never shared this much with anyone, even Lisa. He wasn’t much of a ‘hug it out’ kind of guy, and he certainly didn’t do relationships, but somehow Sara made him want to tell her everything. Something about her energy drew his thoughts and feelings out, and had him spilling his secrets with very little prompting. It was both cathartic and deeply unsettling, but somehow the relief it afforded him won out every time.

“For a long time the only thing that kept me going was knowing that I had to take care of my sister. I could never skip out on her the way our parents did, the day she was born was the day I became responsible for someone else and I’ve never forgotten that,” Leonard looked thoughtful and a bit more grounded, “Lisa may have grown up, gotten herself a shiny gold gun and a Cisco nickname, but she’ll never stop being my baby sister and her safety will never stop being my number one priority.” He said this with such conviction it made Sara’s heart ache for Laurel. She wondered if she’d felt this way, and how hard it must have been to accept when the Queen’s Gambit went down.

Her eyes drifted to where their fingers lay between them interlaced. Her older sister had only ever wanted the best for her, just like Leonard, and in the end she’d thanked her by swanning off to become a legend.

Leonard noticed the almost imperceptible shift in her demeanor and squeezed her hand gently for just a moment, drawing her attention back to the present.

“‘Okay?” He asked gently. She nodded, giving his hand a gentle squeeze in return.

“You’re a good brother,” she whispered.

“Debatable,” he replied, only half joking, but at least he cracked half a smirk.

It was in the half gestures, unfinished sentences, and unspoken sentiment where they really were most alike. Neither one of them liked to talk about their feelings, but with each other every word said so much more. They understood the meaning behind each other’s words and had become attuned to a shared frequency.

“You’ve made me better,” he said so quietly Sara almost thought she’d imagined it.

“ _Me_?” She said surprised, he’d been the one who’d helped _her_. Believed in her when everyone else saw only an assassin. She searched his eyes, “you were the one who reminded me I didn’t have to kill.”

_That’s how a killer thinks, and that’s not you anymore._

He smiled gently, “seeing you, watching you resist the bloodlust... Watching you fight and be more than anyone expected, it made me want to be more than just a crook... It made me want more for myself... and for you. It made me want more for _us_.” He drew her hand up then and kissed the back of her palm while his eyes fell closed.

“I never saw this coming Len,” she smiled softly. “I came on board to save my city, maybe find a purpose and do some good, but I never could have expected this, never could have expected you,” Sara struggled to express what she was feeling, “I guess, you really are as good a thief as they say...” she swallowed thickly, “because... you stole my heart and I never even saw it happen,” she whispered the last part even quieter.

She averted her eyes feeling vulnerable and exposed, embarrassed to have put so much of her emotions into words. But he lifted her chin gently with one finger and kissed her slowly, until it became more and more firm and heated. When he pulled back and they slowly opened their eyes, they were both breathing heavily.

“I think that’s enough words for tonight,” he murmured and moved to kiss her even more breathless. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leonard and Sara start to heat up but Leonard is reminded of a tramautic injury. Sara helps him through it and sexy times ensue. 
> 
> Rating goes up for this chapter, also some mild description of violence. Will be a short final follow up chapter coming soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Included a quote from my favorite author, Chuck Palahniuk, so all credit to him and his work. I own nothing.

Leonard slowly rolled above her, cupping his hand behind her jaw and kissing her deeply. Sara hummed low and content as one of his knees settled between her legs. She sighed and let her hands wander up around his waist, skimming under his long sleeve shirt occasionally. Her hand grazed over something somehow both jagged in shape yet smooth to the touch and Leonard froze. Sara pulled her hand back afraid she’d done something wrong.

“Sorry,” she whispered, suddenly a little anxious but not knowing why. Leonard’s muscles began to relax and he dipped his head to rest his forehead on her clavicle, his shoulders still somewhat tense.

“Don’t be,” he muttered back quietly.

“Hey,” she said, taking his face in her hands and lifting it to meet her gaze. “It’s okay if you want to stop,” he shook his head and looked away. “Len,” she whispered gently, “tell me, what is it?”

He swallowed and took a breath, “I’ve never really been one for touch, before you that is, and there are things... I’d rather forget, which I bear rather significant evidence of...” he trailed off uncomfortably.

“I understand, Len,” she studied him, concern worrying her brow. “And you don’t have to say anymore if you don’t want to, but, those things that happened to you? They’re your past, I read somewhere once, _‘Your past is just a story... it has no power over you,’_ and I think that’s true, but only if you believe it.” She watched him as he seemed to consider this, then he took a steadying breath and placed her hand back where it had been on his bare waist.

“Stab wound when I was 14, don’t think I’d ever seen so much blood before in my life... It was that day I told you about, when I met Mick. This kid had a shiv made out of a piece of broken glass with some cloth wrapped around one end as a handle. After he stabbed me, he shoved me against the bars and the end shattered. I lay there bleeding, clutching at it, until Mick stepped in. He saved my life, got me to the infirmary before I bled out. The doctor picked out 7 shards of glass from my side.” Leonard let out a deep, heavy breath. “Guess I just, well, it’s been sometime since anyone’s touched me, and I guess everything is a bit more, intense, than I remembered,” he finished a little sheepishly.

Sara reached up to cup his cheek, her eyes full of emotion, then wordlessly pulled him down for a gentle, comforting kiss. “Can I see?” She breathed against his lips cautiously.

Leonard looked a little confused, “the scar? Er, yeah, but... it’s not the only one...” he trailed off nervously.

“I’ve got plenty of my own,” she shrugged nonchalantly. “Besides, I’m gonna see eventually.”

He hesitated for just a moment, then gave a curt nod and pulled back to tug his shirt over his head. At first she was a little taken aback, and as her eyes drifted over the many scars from years of cuts, bruises and cigarette burns her heart ached for him. It both hurt and made something hot and angry burn inside her and she suddenly realized why he’d been so reticent to show her. He didn’t want to be seen as a wounded puppy, needing her to take care of him. To be seen as broken or damaged. He looked a little uneasy as his downcast eyes avoided her gaze.

“Hey,” she said again and pulled him back down to run her fingers over his chest, “these are proof of your past, but they don’t define you. You survived all of it, they’re proof that you’re stronger than all the shit life has thrown at you.” Leonard’s shoulders seemed to ease a little at that.

“What say we get back to where we were, before the past so rudely interrupted us,” she smiled and began kissing a trail of wet kisses down from his jaw to his neck. Leonard let out a deep breath and began to melt into her touch. His hands caressed down her arms to her chest, then gripped her hips firmly to roll them over carefully.

“Mm, good thinking,” she murmured in his ear, her blonde hair cascading over her shoulders as she sat back to run her hands smoothly all over his chest. Leonard wasn’t a bulky muscled guy, but he was by no means scrawny or without muscle. He was trim and solid, without all the vanity muscles.

“Like what you see?” He drawled, trying for unaffected and failing spectacularly.

“Mmmm,” Sara hummed appreciatively and raked her nails over his skin gently. Leonard arched into the feeling and sucked in a breath at the sensation. He hadn’t let anyone this close in such a long time. The motion caused him to inadvertently buck up against her and the pressure on that perfect spot made her shiver.

“Len,” she whispered, “I need... _more_...” she rolled her hips at this making him groan and grip her hips to still the motion.

“Okay, but you’re gonna have to let me take these jeans off, you doing that with so many layers in between us is torture,” he groaned.

Sara smirked, “I’ll leave the torture for another night,” and began to slip out of her tank top and jeans giving him room to ease off his dark jeans. Down to her basic black lace underwear and bra, Sara climbed back on top of Leonard who was now clad only in dark boxer briefs sporting a rather promising tent in the front.

He was breathing shallowly, worked up from watching her undress and now being able to run his hands over the expanse of her pale skin.

“God you’re beautiful,” he breathed out and slipped his hands behind her shoulder blades to pull her body flush to him. Sara nearly blushed, feeling dizzy with pleasure and contentment. She kissed him deeply, and began rolling her hips over him once again. Leonard moaned into her mouth and met her steady rhythm with his own hips.

“Protection?” Sara breathed out rather desperately, pulling back once again to discard her bra.

“Yeah,” Leonard panted thickly, “uh, in the drawer under the bed I think,” he managed. Sara leaned over to reach under the bed and was able to fish out a condom from a small pack tucked among his underwear. Leonard was cupping her breasts and leaned up to kiss and nip gently at her nipple making her gasp and clutch at him.

Leonard slowly eased her underwear down her hips, waiting for her to stop him, but she only groaned and pressed her chest into his face again earning a smirk. He removed his own remaining boxers and retrieved the condom she’d dropped in his lap. He slipped it on quickly and resumed lavishing her breasts with nibbles, sucks and licks, easing her hips down gently. Sara’s hands were planted on his shoulders and she had her head tilted back, relishing the attention and just as he lined her up to ease in gently, Sara sank down to sit fully in his lap and moaned at the fullness. Leonard froze like he’d had the wind knocked out of him with a swift punch to the gut, then moved his arms around her back to pull her close. He held her in an intimate embrace with Sara seated fully in his lap, both adjusting to the incredible feeling.

“Len...” she whispered reverently, her arms wrapped around his shoulders, cradling his head against her neck and sighing.

“...Sara,” he whispered back, beginning to run his fingers gently down her spine.

“Are you ready?” He asked quietly. She nodded and leaned back to kiss him slow and passionate. When she pulled back and rested her forehead against his, he began to slowly roll his hips back and forward, shifting just a few inches in and out. Sara sighed and leaned her head back, her eyes closed and arms still around his shoulders. Then she lifted up and slid smoothly back down causing Leonard to groan and thrust forward. She continued to lift and fall over and over him and he met her with steady thrusts till they were both panting and clinging to one another. Soon Leonard’s breath became shallower and his thrusts a little more frantic.

Sara wanted to come as close together as possible, “here,” she whispered and leaned back in order to achieve the right angle. Leonard caught on quickly and shifted so he could lie her down flat beneath him and lifted her hips to get the angle right. He knew he’d found it when she started making little high breathy sounds and clawing at the small of his back.

“Oh Len,” she cried out desperately.

“I’ve got you Sara,” he breathed back huskily. He could tell she was peaking but couldn’t hold on any longer. “Oh my god Sara, I can’t, I’m gonna, _uhhhnnnn_ ,” he groaned as he swelled inside her and released. The feeling was just enough to push her over and she gasped and cried out, clenching around him. Leonard shuddered and bucked his hips a few last times before slowing and easing out gently. Sara’s limbs felt heavy, endorphins flooding her system as her hazy mind was distantly aware of Leonard slipping off the condom and moving to lay beside her. He wrapped one arm over her middle and panted as his heart rate slowly went back to normal.

 


	4. Chapter 4

  
Leonard is idly tracing patterns on her skin, she thinks how they almost feel like a map or maybe a blueprint. _Ever the crook_ , she smirks fondly.

Sara curls further into his side as he continues to explore her shoulders with his fingertips. The featherlight touch makes her shiver.

“Sorry,” he murmurs, stilling his hand, “cold?”

She gives a gentle shake of her head, “no, just tickled a little. Was enjoying it though,” she tilts her head to meet his eyes. His gaze is hooded and he looks utterly at ease, so starkly different than the tense, guarded way he often looks around others. He looks as though he’s set down some incredibly heavy burden that he’d been carrying, and it feels like he’s let her in past another barrier. She smiles at him sleepily, her hair thoroughly mussed and looking unabashedly beautiful.

“You know, you really are _too_ beautiful...” he murmurs playfully with mock seriousness, “I’ve always had a weakness for pretty things, could never really leave well enough alone once something truly priceless caught my eye.” He breathes out speculatively, “Dangerous game you’re playing here assassin, once I find something I like, I’m _relentless_.” He smirks casually.

“Mmm” she hums noncommittally, “dangerous for _you_ ,” she grumbles against his shoulder sleepily. “I guarantee my enemies are a lot scarier than yours,” she teases.

Leonard snorts a breath at that, “somehow, my self preservation seems to have gone out the window,” he drawls quietly. He sobers marginally and his fingers flex against her back. “Being with you...“ His voice falters for a moment, “it both terrifies me, and yet somehow makes me feel fearless.”

“I’m scared to death of how compromised it makes my judgement, how... _close_ you are, how easy it would be...” he doesn’t finish the thought aloud. _How easily you could hurt me_ , he thinks.

Sara leans up on one elbow and gazes down at him, her expression unreadable. “I... I would never, _could_ never let anything happen to you Len,” she cups his jaw with her free hand, “but, people around me tend to get hurt,” Sara’s eyes look distant for a moment. “Being close to me is like being close to death, like something from the pit never really let go,” she trails off.

Leonard looks up at her with conviction, “I’ve never let danger get in the way of what I want. I don’t intend to start now. Nothing worth having comes without risk.”

There’s something perfect about that, she thinks, the way Leonard is always chasing the high from a perfect heist. It’s like he’s only happy when all the cards are stacked against him and he still comes out on top.

“You’re a bit of an adrenaline junkie, crook,” she smiles wickedly at him, “you _like_ the danger.”

“Mmm, maybe” he smirks, “I suppose that’s why only an _assassin_ makes me feel truly _alive_ ,” he drags her down for a kiss burying one hand in her hair and the other holding her close. Sara kisses him back like he’s her only source of oxygen.

Leonard eases his hand back to cup her cheek and breaks away panting raggedly against her lips. Men have always lusted after Sara, women too, but there is something about the hold she has over him that makes her feel dizzy. Something about that normally cool composure turning ragged that makes her want to claim him over and over.

“Len,” she murmurs hot against his neck and giving his earlobe a nip, he groans and clutches at her.

“Sara,” he gasps, “you’ll be the death of me.”

“I’ve been the death of many men,” she teases breathlessly.

“I’ll gladly go by your hand, assassin,” he whispers before quickly rolling her beneath him to kiss her breathless again.


End file.
